The United States has escalated its anti-narcotics campaign in Latin America with the deployment of three Aegis-class guided-missile destroyers off the coast of Venezuela, a move that underscores Washington’s intensifying focus on drug cartels operating across the region.
The vessels involved in the operation are the USS Gravely, USS Jason Dunham and USS Sampson.
While the U.S. has framed the deployment as part of its broader efforts to combat transnational crime, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has reacted sharply, describing the presence as a hostile provocation.
In a national address on Monday, Maduro pledged that Venezuela would “defend our seas, our skies and our lands,” and dismissed Washington’s actions as “the outlandish, bizarre threat of a declining empire.”
President Donald Trump has long prioritised the fight against drug cartels, linking the crackdown to his administration’s wider agenda on immigration control and border security.
In recent months, U.S. forces have already deployed additional naval assets and intensified airborne surveillance of cartel movements in a bid to cut smuggling routes and disrupt networks feeding narcotics into North America.
In February, the Trump administration designated Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, the Venezuelan criminal organisation Tren de Aragua, and other Latin American gangs as global terrorist organisations.
The move was designed to give U.S. agencies broader powers to pursue members and associates internationally while reinforcing domestic immigration enforcement against alleged gang operatives.
The build-up of American naval and intelligence resources in the Caribbean reflects Washington’s determination to demonstrate strength in counter-narcotics enforcement. However, it also risks inflaming tensions with Caracas, where Maduro continues to view U.S. actions as part of a long-standing strategy to destabilise his government.
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